This work provides an overview of the Disney organization, in particular the theme parks and their significance for contemporary culture. The author examines topics such as Walt Disney's life and how his biography has been constructed, the Disney Company in the years after his death and various writings about the Disney theme parks. He raises important issues about the parks such as: whether they are harbringers of postmodernism; the significance of consumption at the parks; and the representation of past and future. The discussion of theme parks links with the presentation of Disney's biography and his organization by showing how central economic and business considerations have been in their development and how the significance of these considerations is typically marginalized in order to place an emphasis on fantasy and magic.

Since the 1930s, the Walt Disney Company has produced characters, images, and stories that have captivated audiences around the world. How can we understand the appeal of Disney products? What is it about the Disney phenomenon that attracts so many children, as well as adults? In this updated second edition, with new examples provided throughout, Janet Wasko examines the processes by which the Disney company – one of the largest media and entertainment corporations in the world – continues to manufacture the fantasies that enthrall millions. She analyses the historical expansion of the Disney empire into the twenty-first century, examines the content of Disney’s classic and more recent films, cartoons and TV programs and discusses how they are produced, considering how some of the same techniques have been applied to the Disney theme parks. She also discusses the reception (and sometimes, reinterpretation) of Disney products by different kinds of audiences. By looking at the Disney phenomenon from a variety of perspectives, she provides an updated and comprehensive overview of one of the most significant media and cultural institutions of our time. This important book by a leading scholar of the entertainment industries will be of great interest to students in media and cultural studies, as well as a broader readership of Disney fans.

This expanded and revised edition explores and updates the cultural politics of the Walt Disney Company and how its ever-expanding list of products, services, and media function as teaching machines that shape children's culture into a largely commercial endeavor. The Disney conglomerate remains an important case study for understanding both the widening influence of free-market fundamentalism in the new millennium and the ways in which messages of powerful corporations have been appropriated and increasingly resisted in global contexts. New in this edition is a discussion of Disney's shift in its marketing strategies towards targeting tweens and teens, as Disney promises to provide (via participation in consumer culture) the tools through which young people construct and support their identities, values, and knowledge of the world. The updated chapters from the highly acclaimed first edition are complimented with two new chapters, 'Globalizing the Disney Empire' and 'Disney, Militarization, and the National Security State After 9/11,' which extend the analysis of Disney's effects on young people to a consideration of the political and economic dimensions of Disney as a U.S.-based megacorporation, linking the importance of critical reception on an individual scale to a broader conception of democratic global community.

In 1996 over 16 million people visited Tokyo Disneyland, making it the most popular of the many theme parks in Japan. Since it opened in 1983, Tokyo Disneyland has been analyzed mainly as an example of the globalization of the American leisure industry and its organizational culture, particularly the "company manual." By looking at how Tokyo Disneyland is experienced by employees, management, and visitors, Aviad Raz shows that it is much more an example of successful importation, adaptation, and domestication and that it has succeeded precisely because it has become Japanese even while marketing itself as foreign. Rather than being an agent of Americanization, Tokyo Disneyland is a simulated "America" showcased by and for the Japanese. It is an "America" with a Japanese meaning.

In this fascinating analysis, Cher Krause Knight peels back the actual and contextual layers of Walt Disney's inspiration and vision for Disney World in central Florida, exploring the reasons why the resort has emerged as such a prominent sociocultural force. Knight investigates every detail, from the scale and design of the buildings to the sidewalk infrastructure to which items could and could not be sold in the shops, discussing how each was carefully configured to shape the experience of every visitor. Expertly weaving themes of pilgrimage, paradise, fantasy, and urbanism, she delves into the unexpected nuances and contradictions of this elaborately conceived playland of the imagination.

Celebrating Quiet People: A unique collection of motivational, inspirational and uplifting TRUE stories for introverts and highly sensitive persons that you shouldn’t miss.... * Now available also in Portuguese, Italian and Spanish* From the Amazon #1 best-selling author of the “Quiet Phoenix” series of books comes an outstanding collection of biographies and events that guarantee to increase your self-compassion and self-esteem, regardless of your age, gender or status in society. This book is primarily written to celebrate the unique characteristics of quiet, introverts and highly sensitive persons. But why should anyone write about such persons, you may wonder. The simple answer is because most societies, whether Western or Eastern, value extroversion as an ideal. “Successful” personalities are considered to be "bold, assertive, those who can take the centre stage and a fellow who is mighty likeable." Introverts are often misunderstood. At home, parents worry if their quiet child is spending too much time in solitude, day dreaming whereas the real world operates through socialising and networking. At school, teachers presume that if a child is hesitant in answering questions, that child must be displaying some kind of learning or social disability. At work, introverts are considered to be not good "team players" and lacking in enthusiasm and initiative. And bullies (both in school and in the work place) think they are easy pushovers. Still no one should assert that introverts do not have any strong points. They are in fact gifted with the strengths of persistence, hard work, creativity, self-discipline, a knack for self-learning, high emotional intelligence and a rich imagination. After all, many eminent personalities like Abraham Lincoln, Albert Einstein, Walt Disney, and even J.K. Rowling were introverts. In fact, as the author mentions, reading a lot of psychology books (including Susan Cain’s Quiet the power of introverts in a world that can’t stop talking) made him realise of his own unique potential, and his powers (or super powers, as he would like to say) that only a few years back he was not very conscious of. This resulted into the writing of the Quiet Phoenix series. The theme of the series was that just as the Phoenix bird has the potential to be reborn literally from the ashes, so do introverts have the power to rise from any difficult situation. "Celebrating Quiet People" tells us about how some really famous introverts overcame, with steely resolve, the most difficult challenges thrown their way. Persons associated with law, law firms or contemplating a career change may find the lessons especially relevant. The author sincerely hopes that these stories will give you the courage to pursue your dreams and ambitions, regardless of how “outlandish” they may seem to others. So what are you waiting for? Just scroll up and ADD THIS BOOK TO YOUR CART now. Keywords: abraham lincoln, abraham lincoln free books, abraham lincoln biography, abraham lincoln leadership, walt disney biography, walt disney free, walt disney autobiography, albert einstein, albert einstein biography, albert einstein free books, albert einstein autobiography, albert einstein for kids, albert einstein biography for kids, albert einstein free, j.k. rowling biography, j.k. rowling short stories, self help books best sellers, introvert personality, introvert advantage, introvert business, introvert extrovert, introvert guide, introvert help, introvert power, career break, career decisions, career finding, quiet introvert, quiet power, self improvement for men, self improvement best sellers, self improvement 101, creative confidence, creative career, creative entrepreneur, creative people, uplifting stories, uplifting books, career change self help books, law firms, motivational, motivational and inspirational books free, personal growth and development, happiness, mental health, self-esteem, creativity, genius, behavioural psychology, short stories, self compassion, self esteem for men and teens and young adults and kids, self respect, introverted children

The Globalization of Nothing is back in a revised and completely updated Second Edition. In this reconceptualized volume, author George Ritzer focuses his attention squarely on the processes of globalization and how they relate to McDonaldization. This revision is shorter, more concise, and spends much less space on the Nothing-Something continuum that he introduced in the First Edition.

Branded a "cultural Chernobyl" and the "tragic kingdom," the Euro Disney Resort has been on its own thrill ride since opening in 1992. The much publicized version of the Magic Kingdom gave Europeans alcohol-free "mocktails," surly employees, even colors too muted for the Disney image. Facing financial disaster, was it any wonder that Disney execs found themselves wishing upon a star for answers? After so many knee-jerk criticisms of Euro Disney, this book combines firsthand experience and research to shed new light on claims that the park is nothing more than a form of American cultural imperialism. Andrew Lainsbury, a former Euro Disney employee who knows what the park meant to its visitors, goes beyond media bites and academic scorn to examine Europe's love/hate relationship with Euro Disneyland and some of the undiscussed issues surrounding it. Once Upon an American Dream is a story of global capitalism on a grand scale. Lainsbury has plumbed company archives and interviewed key players to give readers the real view from Le Chateau de la Belle au Bois Dormant (Sleeping Beauty's Castle). He cracks open the Euro Disney controversy to reveal the park not as a tragic experiment in exporting American culture but the result of European efforts to import a popular form of American entertainment. Lainsbury tells how the Walt Disney Company came to build a European park and locate it in France, how political negotiations affected its design and development, how it was promoted to continental audiences, and what caused its widely publicized financial woes before being rescued by a real prince from Saudi Arabia. He reveals what it took to win back the hearts of skeptical Europeans—such as serving wine, selling flashy merchandise, and placating disgruntled workers. Finally, he looks into the magic mirror to speculate on the role of Euro Disney and the Walt Disney Company in the twenty-first century. Ultimately, Lainsbury shows that cultural imperialism is not an exclusively American phenomenon but a global corporate strategy—and that global corporatism, by needing to be responsive to consumers, is so complex that it may not be as monolithic as feared. Once Upon an American Dream is a fairy tale for our times, reminding us that, for all the critical huffing and puffing, the creation and marketing of pleasure is what Euro Disneyland is all about.

Written by the scholars who first developed the theory of self-leadership, Self-Leadership: The Definitive Guide to Personal Excellence offers powerful yet practical advice for leading oneself to personal excellence. Grounded in the most recently published, cutting-edge self-leadership research, this milestone book is based on a simple yet revolutionary principle: first learn to lead yourself, then you will be able to effectively lead others. This inclusive approach to self-motivation and self-influence equips readers with the strategies and tips they need to strengthen their own personal effectiveness. The updated Second Edition resonates with today’s students by featuring contemporary examples, new cases, new feature boxes, and the latest research.